Thank you Rose for all your input. I have looked at the mom delights blog and listened to her youtube videos. I think for us we have been already doing composer study, solfa, handicrafts, folk dances, picture study, spanish.. ect... that it feels sad to have to take things away; but with a child who I think is dyslexic and needs to learn to read and a new baby and having to now teach grammar/ writing; I feel I have my hands full.

Thank you Brenda! This is very helpful! We do scripture reading and hymn singing and scripture memory over breakfast.. Thank-you for your encouragement with Rod and Staff English. I have really prayer about it and decided to forgo Classical Writing and use Rod and Staff for Grammar and writing. My thoughts were if my kids can write well then they can write about what they read. Doing spelling over summer is a good idea. I could use all my A.O. books as independent reading.

Thank you Maize! My son who is in 4th grade does need writing instruction, my daughter needs the spelling....Maybe I will loop Latin... I want my son to get used to writing every day.. Perhaps if I have him do one independent read and then write on it, that would be enough. With Ambleside Online he would have three of his own readings scheduled daily.

I will have a K/first grader, a 3rd grader, and a 4th grader. I will also have a 4 year old, 2 year old, and new baby. I had purchased all of the books to complete Ambleside Online Year 4, 3, and 1; but I feel God is putting it on my heart to simplify. Besides a family morning time what would you add for the 3rd and 4th grader? Currently I have Rod and Staff English, Spelling, and Grammar. I was thinking of doing Latin with them ( I have getting started with and minimus). My first grader needs to learn to read... I also have Visits to North America for my third and fourth grader. What would morning time look like and what else would I need to add. I really don't want to burn out and want to be in homeschooling for the long haul. I also want to be loving to my littles. I think I overbought for this year. I bought things for knitting, brushdrawing, sloyd ect... I don't want to be discouraged if I don't get to everything. Also piano is a priority. My oldest two do Hoffman Academy for 20-30 minutes a day. Thank you.. Here is a link to my current idea for a schedule, but I don't know if it will be realistic with a newborn https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fYeLmP3UdkX2Z8tP3IlmJwMtRQGdojcqL4aSd7adiAc/edit?usp=sharing

Math: R& S 4 Grammar: R&S 4 Spelling: R&S 4 Ambleside Online year 4/ Adding SCM Visits to Europe and North America Music: Continue Hoffman Academy and try Miss Mason's Music Writing: Copy in cursive all memory work (3 NT passages, 3 OT Passages, 3 Poems, 3 Psalms, 3 Hymns, and possibly a scene from shakespeare). Write one narration a day of at least 4 sentences based on an A.O. reading Latin: Latina Christiana Spanish: Getting Started with Spanish/ Cherrydale Press/ and Spanish stories and songs Handicrats: Knitting, Sewing, Painting, Sloyd.. One of these daily

I am thinking of following LCC in the idea of one area of study focus for each day a week... ex: Geography, Literature, History, Nature/ Science

We currently have a pretty good rhythm.. We eat breakfast at 7:30 (everybody has to be dressed for the day). My husband does the catechism with us, we recite scripture and sing a hymn. We clean up, get the baby dressed. I am thinking 3Rs and some independent reading from 8:30-11 (kids will get some breaks while I work with other kids). 11-12:30 Lunch and mandatory outdoor play unless its pouring or below freezing. ( I get my little 1, 3, and 5 year old quiet or sleeping for at least an hour of this )12:30-2:30 piano, journaling, reading, narrating, singing. 2:30 Snack, poetry and current event. Clean up. 3:30-4:30 mandatory outdoor time again including me. I do so much better when I get outside. 4:30-6:00 Chores, dinner prep, showers, free play, nature journal entry if not yet done. 6 dinner. 7:30 family read aloud. 8:00 everyone to their rooms (if they can't sleep they read).

Well anyways. This is a delayed response, but I think I am going to go forward full force with the rainbow curriculum. I also found her D.E.A.R. suggestions sheet which I love (it even includes life skills). I do not want to tweak it much. I am tired of decision fatigue. The only things I am adding are Hoffman Academy, Memoria Press Phonics and spelling for k-2 (because I love it and have it), and I think Math Mammoth to make my life easier considering I have 5 kids with 6 on the way, and possibly try the visits to series from Simply Charlotte Mason for mapping. I read all of Ella Frances Lynche's book over break and loved it; it was a breath of fresh air. I may purchase A Child's History of the World, Our Island Story, and This Country of Ours. I am at the point I want a family culture of books; books that our family reads and knows and loves. We have read about half of the book up to the orange level in the past, and I love all the ones she has suggested. My husband did the Christian and CLassical masters program at knox and had read most of the upper school books and really likes her decisions. My house cleaning routine is on auto pilot, my grocery shopping and meal planning is on auto pilot, now I want to put my homeschool on auto pilot. We did the ALveary this year, this was our second time doing it( I did it two years ago). I have realized as much as I love Charlotte Mason the short lessons and strict schedule is actually too ADD for me and also knowing the books will switch every year overwhelms me. Sorry for my ramble; maybe no one will read it.

The Alveary. Delectable Education podcast. Understanding Charlotte Mason's writings is more important than a curriculum. I would read Volume 1:Home Education

THank you for getting back to me and for the encouragement! I feel like studying Charlotte Mason for so long I could easily implement it. I wouldn't have to spend a lot of money. We already sing hymns as a family and do Hoffman Academy for piano. I could still keep a picture study and composer study (they each only take ten minutes a week). We could continue our nature journaling. I like just being able to see everything at a glance and not have to guess on books. I like slow reading and her history cycle. I have to teach my five year old who I think is dyslexic to read next year (so I really want to focus on that instead of curriculum).

I have been looking at this for a while now. I have gone between LCC and Charlotte Mason, but I keep coming back to the simplicity of the Rainbow Curriculum. I am adding baby number 6 this summer! I will have 6 kids 9 and under. My oldest two read well. I would love to hear your experience with the curriculum.

I was doing Mason's Alveary, but due to an almost 3 year old that needs a lot of attention, my husband has suggested I switch to more independent curricula. I will do Right Start Math with my 6 year old, she needs the help. I was thinking Strayer Upton with my 8 year old. Then I just need a get it done Language Arts. I was thinking Cottage Press.. But maybe there is something more independent. Apart from that I will require Hoffman Academy, 30 minutes of silent reading, a morning time with narration, and my husband reads aloud to them at night. I like the idea of doing a 5 day loop for "subjects" Geography, History, Nature Study, Fine Arts ect... We cover Bible as a family over breakfast.

My husband gave me the Ok to switch things up and not feel like I wasted money. SO how about the Cottage Press Language Arts Primers. Continuing Right Start with my daughter, having my son do Strayer Upton Math independently. And then doing 1 hr of "Morning Time". And Hoffman Academy?

I am at the point I have continued changed what I am doing multiple times that I feel it is no longer fair to my kids. We started with Memoria Press, moved to the Alveary, then went back to Memoria Press, and then back to the Alveary. What lead me to Memoria Press was reading the Latin Centered Curriculum (I like two strands of History and it also included more narration). I have read Charlotte Mason since my son was four and own her volumes and love her ideals, but I love the security of something like Memoria Press and do feel that it is more independent. But I also felt that my children were doing too much writing and moved to narration and no lit guides. On one hand I like the security, but on the other hand I like my kids making their own copybooks. I do feel narration is enough and lit guides aren't necessary. I know this seems like a different problem than my original. My point is I want to stick with a path. We do like Right Start, but I do know it is teacher intensive. Rod and Staff especially did not work for my daughter, she needs to understand numbers. I feel for my oldest two that dictation is enough for spelling. We write a sentence from dictation a day and I correct spelling errors by reviewing spelling rules. My five year old is a whole different story; knowing he is dyslexic ( I am currently reading overcoming dyslexia). So even though Charlotte Mason delays academics until six, I am wondering if I need to do more; I own all About Pre- Reading and perhaps need to be faithful in that, but time has been an issue. So yes, maybe I am feeling guilt for neglecting my five year old(he just turned five in July). I was up at 3 am thinking about all of this and now it is 4. I guess what I really want is sound advice and a workable long term plan. I am coming to grips with the idea that I may have to let my ideals of a Charlotte Mason education go...

Thank you for the encouragement. My 11 month old does a really good job as well; he is not the problem. It is just having the toddler and the 11 month old together, because the toddler gets too rough with him.

My 6 year old needs help in math( it's funny this girl is reading little women,but gets in tears over double digit addition). My 8 year old catches on quickly in math, so maybe for him I should look for something more independent. My toddler can climb out of all gates and he gets into all handicrafts. My daughter loves sewing, maybe I can save it for the weekends during his nap when we are not doing schol. Paints we are ok with; we use watercolors. I have my kids paint something they read about or saw in nature almost everyday.

Hi Lori, Thankfully my mom takes the five year old and two year old Tuesday mornings. The funny thing is the baby is not a problem at all. He's happy just playing. It's more having the toddler with the baby. I have four boys, my toddler is my third; I have never had a boy like this. He doesn't like toys and is pretty much only happy if he is outside climbing, running, riding a bike, or catching bugs (which he does all day). Private schools are not financially a choice. We have perhaps talked about enrolling our oldest in online school next year, all I can find is Freedom Project Academy; but that would be the most our finances can afford. Maybe I do just need to look for more independent curricula.

Thank you for your reply! Here are my thoughts... I know I paid $200 to be part of the Alveary, but I own the first edition of the Latin Centered Curriculum and I can't stop looking at it. I also own Minimus Latin, because my son loves Latin (he did Prima Last year). Actually last year we did Memoria Press and then moved back to Charlotte Mason because I didn't like all the guides. I actually am not concerned at all about my daughters reading. We use dictation for spelling. So here are my thoughts; would this work. We do Bible as a family over breakfast. Take our recitations (poetry, hymn, and bible), and use it as copywork, grammar lessons, and dictation. I do one on one math with my kids (we use Right Start). We go for a walk first thing in the morning. My baby naps from 9:30-11 (during that time I do Math and English with my kids (including 15 minutes of phonics with my 5 year old)). 11-12:30 We eat lunch and go outside.12:30-1 Piano(Hoffman Academy) 1-2:30 my 2 year old naps. We do Latin 20 min (which will include more grammar and copywork). Then we spend 40 minutes doing a loop schedule such as in L.C.C. I was to use Alveary resources since I own them (they read out loud). American History 1 day and have them paint a picture for a timeline/ A Wonderbook & Pilgrims Progress Another day for Lit/ Geography another day along with a a patriotic song/ Natural History and Nature Journaling another day/ Fine Arts the last day (picture study, composer study, paint a picture from something they read). Then have them do 20 minutes of independent reading. Doing this we are ditching handicrafts(which my daughter loves) and spanish.

I am a Charlotte Mason homeschooler at heart and am doing Mason's Alveary, which I love; but it requires a lot of the teacher. I have an 8 year old, 6 year old (very advanced reader), 5 year old who I know is dyslexic, and VERY Challenging almost 3 year old, and 11 month old. My almost three year old is causing havoc in our household. Unless he gets constant attentions something is destroyed or the baby is being hurt. He takes an 1.5 hr nap and I try to fit as much school in as possible, but it is not enough. My five year old is receiving no instruction from me, except maybe ten minutes here or there and I know he needs help because he still can't recognize his letters. My 8 year old and 6 year old are good readers. My husband is against image based learning and we both have a strong conviction against too much screen time. What would you suggest in order to make my 6 year old and 8 year old as independent as possible? I am not against all online learning, but wouldn't want it to be the bulk.

Let me start off by saying I love Memoria Press. Their phonics is great and this is our second year using it. I purchased full first and second grade cores this year. I completed 13 weeks of lesson plans as written and now am tweaking. My second grader fits perfectly in second grade boxes, but I still found writing in the lit guides unnecessary. My first grader is reading chapter books, so the phonics is overkill and taking two weeks to read a picture book that she could read in 20 minutes is a waste of our time. Also I was trying to just follow Rod and Staff math, which I do like, but I felt mathematical concepts were missing. I always have liked Singapore as well, so the past two weeks I have tried mixing the two. My son in second grade placed at 1b for SIngapore. I love their latin. So I will not do full grade packages again. I also want to do history, geography and fine arts as a family. I will always plan on using their phonics (except for my one son because I am pretty sure he is dyslexic, he's 4, so we'll cross that bridge in the fall). They also just came out with their own spelling which looks great! I will stick with their Latin, we are having great success this year. I am trying to decide if I will use CAPs writing or Memoria Press. Not to hijack your post but I'd take advice on that one.

Switching from strictly Charlotte Mason to a more of a Latin Centered Curriculum Mindset Memoria Press Second Grade Core ( I love the core I am just thinking to do more narration and less comprehension questions) Memoria Press Grade 2 enrichment w/ Narrtions Song School Spanish Simply Charlotte Mason's Journaling a Year in Nature Night Time Read Alouds- Probably Pulled from Ambleside Family Morning Time- Long Story Short, Hymns, Psalm Recitation, Catechism

I think that is what we are going to do! Then he can just practice reading using the literature books, because I believe they use some spelling words from them.

The program looks lovely, but I really only need the phonics and reading portion for now : ) Maybe I will consider the whole program in the future.

After prayer and considering the needs of my 6.5 year old, I have narrowed it down to these two choices. LAst year we finished THe Reading Lesson book and this year I was relying on copywork and my son reading aloud 10-20 minutes a day. I realize he needs phonetic review and more guided reading, so we are going to change course.. Whichever one I choose I am going to ditch the comprehension guides and rely on narration. So for Rod and Staff I would get the phonics workbooks the teacher's manual and the readers. For Memoria Press I would get the teacher's manual, Spelling workout B, Core Skill Phonics 2 and he would read aloud the books and narrate. I want to start after the holidays so that we can finish by grade two. What would you suggest? Also please do not give me more suggestions as far as other programs go. I am not trying to be rude I just get overwhelmed easily. :drool: O yes I would get flashcards as well!

Thank you ladies for all you advice. Everyone has given me a lot to consider. I took this all to prayer and feel like I am thinking clearly. I do think I will delay Latin. I also want to stop focusing so much on a particular homeschooling label and do what works for our family and each child. -Alexandra